A Taken Thanksgiving
by Taker Always
Summary: A small Thanksgiving story with our Taken couple. Takes place 8 months after Taken. Rated for language...


Author's Note: Hi! This is a small story with Ashley and Mark from my favorite Taker story, Taken. This story takes place 8 months of my last chapter of Taken. I've had a lot of questions about there being a sequel to Taken and I wanted to let everyone know that yes there will be a sequel to Taken. This story will give my lovely readers a little insight to what's going to take place in the Taken sequel. The title to the Taken sequel will be called Lost. Once I finish my Punk story, I'm going to take a short break and then write a short story for one of my readers and then I will get started on it. I might even write a Taken Christmas if I haven't been able to start my sequel.

I started a Facebook page. I had to put it under Renae Calaway because Facebook was being an ass. It wanted a 'true' first and last name. It is a friend approved type of page because putting it under my own facebook page, it would give away more information than I wanted. This page is all about wrestling and fanfiction. I will approve everyone. No one will be turned away. This is a place where readers and writers can get together and chat and gossip about all things wrestling and fanfiction. But please be nice. I want everyone to be able to come to this page when they need advice or help. If you are mean, you will be de-friended and blocked. Thank you!

Please Enjoy!

A Taken Thanksgiving

**November 21, 2013**

"I want to fix a big Thanksgiving dinner."

I looked up at my wife of twenty months in surprise. Her announcement definitely took me by shock. Only a few days ago, we had discussed Thanksgiving. All of our family and friends had other plans so it would just be her and me and we were going to keep it simple and small. Like take out small or turkey breast small. Now she wanted to fix a 'big' Thanksgiving dinner.

Now Ashley changing her mind at last minute isn't anything new to me. We've been married for almost two years and together for almost three. The only thing she hasn't changed her mind about is our rescue shelter and our relationship. She changes her mind on a daily bases. Clothes, shoes, her hair, our house, our furniture, it all changes all the time. I don't care. I was just curious.

I kept my face neutral. It was the smart to do. "Why the change of heart, Kitten?"

She pursed her lips. "You don't think I can do it? I can cook, you know." She replied back with a little sass.

She was getting defensive. That couldn't be good. "I know you can cook, baby. I've been eating your cooking for a while." I told her calmly.

She could cook. I didn't lie to her. She just wasn't the greatest cook. She burns a lot of food before getting it right. Yes, my grocery bill has doubled since getting married. I didn't care. She was worth it. However she could cook a mean breakfast. That was probably why I've gained ten pounds since getting married. Again, not that I cared.

She sighed heavily and I did what I knew would make her feel better. I pulled into my lap so she was straddling my lap and looking me in the eyes. But instead of asking what was going on in that lovely head of hers, I surprised her.

"What are you going to fix?"

She opened her mouth and then shut it. "What?" She was definitely confused. She cocked her head at me. "You're not going to ask why I want to fix a big Thanksgiving dinner?" She questioned.

I grinned. "I did ask. Now I'm just waiting patiently."

She crinkled her nose and gave another little sigh. "Well I wanted to start some traditions for our family."

"Our family?" I asked. Our family consisted of her and me. Unless… "Are you pregnant, Kitten?"

She blushed and shook her head. "Not yet, but that's not what I meant. I mean… I know eventually we'll start our family and I thought why not start traditions now while it's just you and me."

She wasn't quite meeting my eyes so I knew she wasn't speaking the full truth. I touched her chin with the tip of two fingers and made her meet my eyes. "What's going on in that lovely head of yours, Kitten?"

Tears filled her brandy colored eyes and just like always I felt a sucker punch straight to my gut. I hated when she cried. It could bring me to my knees every time. I brushed her mouth with mine and begged her not to cry. She never used tears against me so I knew something was wrong.

"The girls were talking today and…"

She trailed off, my guess, hoping to keep the tears from falling, but for me she didn't need to speak anymore. We moved a few months ago to a small town close to Austin, Texas. We kept our home in Austin however, because Ashley wasn't quite ready to part with it yet. I agreed I wasn't either. We moved to Taylor, Texas. Taylor had a little over sixteen thousand people, most of that being Urban. Ashley found a large piece of land right outside of Taylor consisting of over hundred acres. It was perfect for what we wanted and she bought it immediately. And we began to build. We're still building, but we're getting there. We finished the house first and I had to admit, I loved it here in Taylor. Except for one small problem. The ladies of Taylor, Texas. Or more so the single ladies of Taylor, Texas.

As I've said before, Texas is a wrestling state and as soon as we moved in, we had company constantly. A group of four women immediately 'befriended' Ashley and I use that term lightly as they immediately took an instant disliking to my sweet petite wife. The first time I came home to Ashley in tears, I demanded that she no longer have anything to do with Bridget, Mary, Stephanie, and Susan. Ashley refused to do that. She said this was our home and we needed to get along with them. Fuck that. The evil bitches are what I've taken to calling them. They continue to criticize Ashley in everything she does. To the point sometimes I wish we hadn't ever moved. They're that damn mean to her.

"What did they say this time, Kitten?"

She shrugged. "They asked me what we were doing for Thanksgiving and I told them what we had planned."

"And?" I asked gently.

"They said that if I didn't start learning how to cook that you were going to get tired of take out and burnt food and leave me for…"

She trailed off again because she knew I was getting pissed off. She didn't need to finish that sentence anyway. I knew what they told her. That I would leave her for one of them. None of them were my type because they simply weren't Ashley. I was sick of the constant picking on my wife. It had to end and soon or as I was going to do something that I would never regret but it would upset Ashley if I went to jail.

I took a deep breath, grasped Ashley's face between my thumb and forefinger and brought her eyes to mine. "Listen to me… Are you listening to me?" I asked her, my voice rough. She nodded, her eyes never leaving mine. "I don't give a shit if you can cook or not. I'll eat burnt food and take out until the day I die as long as I'm with you. Fuck the evil bitches, Kitten. They're jealous of you. Of what you are and what you have. Do you understand me?" Her eyes widened when my voice got a little more rough and low in tone. She nodded slowly. I kissed the tip of her nose before licking the seam of her lips. She inhaled sharply and I held back my grin. She was damn responsive. Always had been.

"Now… as for Thanksgiving dinner, cook all you want. Burn it all, Kitten, I don't care. I'll eat it all and be happy to because you fixed it for me; for us. Do I make myself clear?"

She smiled shyly and nodded. I planted a hard kiss on her mouth and gave her a grin she was used to seeing mainly in our bedroom.

She blushed as she leaned closer to my mouth. "I'm hungry for something that has nothing to do with food, Kitten. Care to help me with that?" I whispered in her ear, my voice low and husky. The dick in my pants was already coming to attention, knowing he was going to get some playtime with his favorite play mate.

She nodded eagerly and brought her mouth to mine. The evil bitches and Thanksgiving dinner all but forgotten.

* * *

**Thanksgiving Day**

"Alright baby, what are you fixing because you have a lot of ingredients here?"

She gave me a bright smile. "I'm gonna make mashed potatoes, homemade noodles, green bean casserole, stuffing, candied yams, turkey and gravy. For dessert, I got a pumpkin pie and I'm going to make an apple pie."

I returned her smile and nodded. "Need any help, Kitten?" I asked sincerely.

She shook her head at me and pointed towards the living room. I brushed a kiss across her mouth, called to Jack and Brandy and the three of us sauntered off into the living area and started to watch The Macy's Day Thanksgiving Parade. It wasn't long before smoke lazily strolled into the living room and I heard a dirty word from my Kitten.

I looked at my watch and grinned. "She made it an hour, Jack. That's good, right?" I asked him. He gave me a cocked eyebrow, yawned and went back to sleep. Brandy was curled up against Jack, fast asleep. Cocoa, Rebel, and Mia were curled up together in the love seat across the room. Those three stuck together after Bear passed. I sighed at that memory. That was definitely a tough time, but we all got through it.

I got up and made my way back into the kitchen. In the hour that had passed, Ashley had gone from clean and calm looking to a complete mess and frantic beyond words. She took one look at me and burst into tears. I held back my grin and pulled her into my arms. I hated her tears, but I knew they were out of frustration. She sobbed against my chest as I rubbed her back in a soothing manner.

She mumbled something against my chest that I didn't hear so I pulled back to look at her. "What?" I questioned gently.

She sniffed, her eyes swollen and her nose red. "Chinese?" She said with a sheepish grin.

I laughed and shook my head. "Oh no. We're going to fix the best damn Thanksgiving dinner anyone has ever seen. Are you ready?" I asked, getting pumped up.

Ashley shook her head and pouted. "I suck at cooking."

I took her mouth in a deep possessing kiss, plunging the warm depths with my tongue, sucking at hers, and nipping her lips until she melted against me. I pulled back and whispered against her lips. "Are you ready?"

She sighed. "For what?"

I chuckled and gave her a hard kiss. "You're definitely good for my ego, Kitten."

She smiled as her tongue came out to gently lick at my mouth. I growled low in my throat and pushed her gently away. "Let's get cooking, baby."

She wrinkled her nose and nodded. "Okay."

Since the turkey was in the oven and still cooking, all we needed was the other things to go with it. Ashley had scorched the potatoes to the pot and the yams were burnt to black. The green bean casserole looked good as did the noodles and stuffing. The stuffing came out of a box so I can see how that was easy, but the noodles. Those were homemade or out of a box/bag? I wondered...

"Ashley, did you make the noodles?" I asked as I peeled the potatoes.

She blinked up at me and nodded. "I did. The recipe said it was easy. A little bit of flour and a couple eggs and some water and chicken broth. That was the easy part."

I nodded and gave her a smile of approval which she returned. "Why don't you get the apple pie ready to put in the oven once the turkey comes out." I told her.

The next two hours were spent in almost silence as we cooked our Thanksgiving meal together. I stole kisses as we passed each other in the kitchen and Ashley giggled as I did so. After almost four hours of cooking, we sat down at our small circled table with our plates full of food.

"Okay… I want to say what we're thankful for." Ashley suddenly announced before I could shovel in a mouthful of food. I laid my fork down and tucked a curl behind her ear.

"You first." I told her softly.

She licked her lips and I stifled a groan. She smiled at me and I could see the love in her eyes. She was so damn beautiful. I was usually never this sappy, but being with Ashley has made me so, but only with Ashley. To everyone else I was still an asshole.

"I'm thankful for my job. For the talent that God has given me in photography. I'm thankful for being able to open an animal rescue shelter for wild and exotic creatures." She touched the palm of her hand to my cheek and her smiled widened. "I'm mostly thankful for you. For the being the most loving and supporting husband any woman could ever ask for. I find myself thanking God every day for you; for the love and passion we share in our daily lives."

I brushed a kiss across her forehead, another one on the tip of her nose, and then another one across her mouth. I cupped her face in my hands. "I'm thankful for my career. I'm thankful that my body has been able to allow my career. I'm thankful for everything life has given me, but I'm most thankful for you. I'm thankful every day that God gave me you. You're half my size, sweet as candy, innocent as hell, gorgeous, and all mine. I'm thankful that you love me for me and I know you do and I've never doubted that. I'm mostly thankful for you because without you, I would be lost, Kitten. You're my life and I love you."

"I love you, Mark William Calaway and I too would be lost without you."

I brushed another kiss across her mouth. "Happy Thanksgiving, Kitten."

"Happy Thanksgiving, Mark."

I planted another hard kiss on her mouth before letting her go. "Let's eat, baby. Everything looks good." I stated enthusiastically.

Jack barked his agreement behind me and Ashley and I both jumped in surprise. We laughed as I threw a small piece of turkey at Jack. I dug into my food as I watched Ashley eat happily, sneaking more pieces of turkey to Jack and pieces to Mia, Cocoa, and Rebel. The dogs watched her intently, hoping for more.

I grinned as Ashley giggled as Jack licked her cheek. I couldn't even imagine life without my Kitten. I would be truly lost without her. Lost in a sea of rage and sadness and doom.


End file.
